just to tick of ms m i'm gonna say glossy can't be considered anything more than a plot device until she experiences some development... emotions and a backstory would be a good start (cool and detached don't count as emotions)

you may disagree about what exactly each of their roles are but they do have things at their core that have not changed since about 2-4 years in when tat hit his stride. since then Monique hasn't had many rules besides remaining a decent human being and having girly emotions that foil slicks boyish immaturity. through it all though she remained a free spirit, someone who was always breaking some social norm (mostly due to attention whoring)... she doesn't do that anymore, now she seems like just a picket sign against the patriarchy. she may have become a better person but there's no personality, nothing unexpected. a painting can be beautiful but itís no tv. i think tat got close here but sorta missed the boat

addendum: but we can when we want to
that is if he wants to keep nique the same, otherwise he needs to adapt her role and find someone new for slick. i don't think he's going to though, todays strip holds promise :)

possible addition

Last edited by Reader1 on Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

splitting the characters up into their own storylines is were their development comes from. crimmy never would have gone anywhere if he just stayed slick and squigg's nerdy friend. fuschia never would have been anymore than a devil girl if she stayed in hell with baby blue. look at what pairing them off in their own storyline has done in adding depth to the world of sinfest. the dynamic between lil e and pebbles as fantastic and has really given new life to the occasionally funny but pretty dimensionally limited character of lil e.
The same characters interacting with the same characters everytime doesn't leave much room for development. pair off two unlikely characters with each other, though, and tat can explore new aspects of those characters.

its exactly as you say, "the same characters interacting with the same characters everytime doesn't leave much room for development." thats what i mean by separate storylines and him needing to bring them together. tat hasn't mixed it/people up in a while and thats probably why everyone around here has been complaining so much, people just have a hard time expressing themselves. i think he's starting to move though

just to tick of ms m i'm gonna say glossy can't be considered anything more than a plot device until she experiences some development

I dunno what makes you think that would tick me off when I've readily admitted the same thing myself on multiple occasions? I love her as a character deeply, but I'll readily admit that she isn't exactly well-developed just yet. But she has potential. And I want to see Tat tap into that potential.

Actually, the second one I posted is actually Nana's day in the life. I figured it counts because it showed that she clearly has an extensive past with the sisterhood, and she actually appears to be smiling in the picture that Nana keeps hung up. It's actually a rare occurrence for her to smile. (I have counted about three times she has smiled, four if you include a flash-back to a previous strip.)

What we know about Xanthe so far is that she's passionate about what she does and what she believes in, she cares deeply for everyone in the sisterhood, she is emotionally attached to her trike, she presumably adores all things cute and adorable based on the thing she has literally ever said in canon ("squee! aren't you precious!") and apparently writes upon occasion. But we don't see her indulge herself in writing often, and we're not sure just what her feelings for writing is. Is it a personal hobby that makes her happy? Or just something she treats as a job? How often does she write? What else does she like? Other than the books she gave to Crim and Harlimefernquin, what sort of books does she read?

And when I mean read, I mean for her own personal interest. What does she do for fun outside of her duties for the sisterhood? What sort of shows does she watch for her own interest? What kind of music does she enjoy? We know she cares for the other girls in the sisterhood, but just how deeply? Just how does she feel about all of them on a personal and individual level? How exactly do they interact on a day-to-day basis? What do they talk about when not talking about justice, activism, throwing off the patriarchy, and feminism in general? We just don't know.

Tat doesn't seem interested in actually exploring any of these ideas - the idea of exploring her as a person rather than idealization - but I really, really wish he would. I've literally been in love with her as a character since her first appearance, not even a slight exaggeration. You'll never believe how overjoyed I was when he revived her and brought her back as a reoccurring character - I just really want him to do more and explore her as a character and as a person with thoughts and feelings. The way he has explored Slick - and Nique - And Crim, Squig, Fyoosh, Blue, and literally everyone else. I want to see her be treated as someone with flaws, but also thoughts and feelings. I want to see every single facet - I want to see her experiencing things she's never experienced before. I want to see her sorrow, her joy, I want to see her bare her soul to friends that care about her.

glossy looks like she's delivering goodies for nana, it looks like nana might have trained the sisterhood, and if you read into the last panel, an older photo, it could be that she is their guardian... at the very least a role model. also be carefull what you wish for, she might turn out to be something you weren't expecting

Even if she's nothing like what I expect, I'd always be more than happy that she was explored more as a character.

Other than you stating the obvious and what we already know, I gotta say real quick that Xanthe isn't actually delivering goodies to anyone. Nana is just providing her with the refreshments that Xanthe provides for devil girls at her free refreshments (devil girls only) booth.

splitting the characters up into their own storylines is were their development comes from. crimmy never would have gone anywhere if he just stayed slick and squigg's nerdy friend. fuschia never would have been anymore than a devil girl if she stayed in hell with baby blue. look at what pairing them off in their own storyline has done in adding depth to the world of sinfest. the dynamic between lil e and pebbles as fantastic and has really given new life to the occasionally funny but pretty dimensionally limited character of lil e.
The same characters interacting with the same characters everytime doesn't leave much room for development. pair off two unlikely characters with each other, though, and tat can explore new aspects of those characters.

its exactly as you say, "the same characters interacting with the same characters everytime doesn't leave much room for development." thats what i mean by separate storylines and him needing to bring them together. tat hasn't mixed it/people up in a while and thats probably why everyone around here has been complaining so much, people just have a hard time expressing themselves. i think he's starting to move though

right, but in the early days of the comic there were far fewer characters and since they always interacted with each other similar scenarios tended to reoccur. splitting up the now larger cast has allowed the characters to progress in new directions. If they were all brought together in one cohesive storyline it would truly have to be epic in scale and separate groups of characters would approach it/ be affected differently. otherwise it just wouldn't work, there are simply too many characters to include at once. even if a cohesive storyline emerged that involved everyone, they would still need to be dealt with in small groups, it's simply easier to manage and allows for several additional perspectives, attitude, reactions, etc. to be presented and explored. it just makes for a deeper, richer, and more intricate story to be told.

Now, if you are referring to more recent strips (and I gather that this is the case) then you must recognize that splitting up the cast has fostered character development and that it's the established groups you want to see changed up. personally, I feel the dynamic is working very well (for the most part... crim & fuschia, pebbles & lil e). the interaction between slick and monique is awkward, but that is by design and has been pretty consistent.

But as for changing up the dynamic, there seem to be several situations/ relationships/ stories that all appear to be coming to a head at the same time (and probably in the immediate future). baby blue is eventually going to need some resolution (which means confrontation) over the whole crimmy/ fuschia thing. lil e will probably start to regain memories of his past. that's going to change his relationships with pebbles and seymour and, more importantly, pave the way for tat to reveal more details about his backstory, who his mother (the woman in white, maybe gaia or some other spirit of nature) really is, her relationship with the devil, his relationship with his son, her ultimate fate... Then, of course, there are the sisterhood and the patriarchy, their origins and final agenda, what role 'nique will play, and whether a confrontation with the devil is inevitable. plus new devil girl, slick having to come to terms with his wicked half, whatever the hell is going on with seymour (crisis of faith or just droopy halo?), and a new direction for 'nique. all of this is going on and looks to be resolved fairly soon with consequences for everyone. be patient, I expect things will come to a head soon and then you will see plenty of progress both in the plot and in the further development of most of the characters._________________FormerlyGreen_Finn